Tucked away in the stadium's southwest corner, the Stanford band joyously flailed and gyrated through a series of lively numbers Friday night, a pleasant reminder that football season is upon us once again.

That's about the only thing that felt familiar at Stanford Stadium.

Through most of a tense second half, one got the feeling that visiting San Jose State was the better team. There wasn't a whole lot of evidence to the contrary. It took what might become the trademark of the post-Andrew Luck Cardinal - big plays on the defensive end - to send the crowd home happy with a 20-17 win.

And by "crowd," we don't mean to suggest "teeming." The announced figure was 40,577, but 25,000 would be more accurate, and the number curiously dwindled as Stanford fought desperately to hold its fourth-quarter lead. Tepid attendance is an ongoing source of disappointment around Stanford football, and one can only look forward to a compelling Pac-12 opener - Sept. 15 against USC - for any hints of a big-time atmosphere.

This was billed as the Bill Walsh Legacy Game, and considering all the name signifies - dominance, creativity, virtuosity - the product fell badly short. The promise of Stanford's running game must wait for another day, for it was stopped far too often by the Spartans' inspired defense. For all the talk about Stanford's defensive prowess, San Jose State coach Mike MacIntyre unleashed a two-quarterback attack that worked on both the passing end (David Fales) and in the rushing game (Blake Jurich).

In the end for Stanford, such grim details will pale in significance to the win - and the fact that Josh Nunes had a reasonably acceptable night in his quarterbacking debut.

Nunes isn't going to be firing 40-yard bullets on the numbers, improvising detailed audibles on the spot or shaking off tacklers on the run. He's not going to be Luck, in other words, and there's a chance no other NCAA quarterback will play to that level, either. Coach David Shaw's intent was to make Nunes feel comfortable, that he belongs, that he earned the starting nod over Brett Nottingham. And the plan worked, especially at the outset.

Nunes' first few passing assignments were simple, short-yardage plays almost guaranteed to succeed. He was 4-for-5 out of the gate, his nerves put to rest. Then came his first real test, from the Spartans' 11-yard-line about midway through the first quarter. Drew Terrell beat cornerback Ronnie Yell on a pattern to the far right corner of the end zone, and Nunes floated a perfect strike for the touchdown and a 14-0 lead.

We have no idea how the Nunes era will unfold, or if it will even be called such a thing. But nothing feels better, anywhere in life, than some instant success in a brand-new job.

As expected, the Stanford offense centered on running back Stepfan Taylor, who did his best work during an 87-yard first half. But Nunes had another promising episode just before halftime, deftly engineering a hurry-up offense downfield and setting up a 46-yard field goal for Jordan Williamson.

Time seemed to stop right then. Stanford fans didn't need to be reminded of last season's Fiesta Bowl, when Williamson's two missed field goals cost Stanford the game and cast a dour mood over Luck's farewell.

"I would say that's the toughest thing I've ever had to deal with," the sophomore kicker told Yahoo.com last week. "I got advice from a lot of people, and a lot of people helped. It's just one of those things that heal with time. It's something you won't forget, but it's something you have to use to motivate you."

So there was Williamson in the comfort zone of Stanford Stadium, steeling himself for his first field goal of the 2012 season. He crushed it, a liner straight and true, and fullback Lee Ward immediately raced over to embrace him. Levine Toilolo and tackle Brendon Austin soon followed, with many more congratulations to come. New year, fresh start, wonderful scene. (Williamson's second field goal, a 20-yarder early in the fourth quarter, proved to be the game-winner.)

The second half was essentially a series of misfires for the Stanford offense, one of which particularly stood out. With 4:22 left in the game, Nunes unleashed a beautiful pass down the left sideline that should have sent Ty Montgomery on his way for a 59-yard, game-clinching, soul-satisfying touchdown. Montgomery flat-out dropped it.